Preparation of chenille



Oct. 21,1947. G. u. UNDERWOOD EI'AL PREPARATION OF CHENILLE Filed July 30, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 21, 1947 Nl'lED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,429,434 PREPARATION or CHENILLE Application July 30, 1946, Serial No. 687,120

.10 Claims. 1

This invention relates to the manufacture of pile fabrics of the chenille type, in which the pile tufts are of different heights in different areas of the pile surface in accordance with a pattern, so that the pile has an embossed or carved appearance. Such fabrics are disclosed in Shuttleworth Patent 2,090,462 issued August, 17, 1937, and the present invention is concerned more particularly with a novel method, by which carved chenille fabrics can be produced more rapidly and at lower cost than heretofore, and with apparatus which can be advantageously utilized in the performance of certain of the steps of the method.

In the practice of the new method, a number of strips of chenille containing weft yarns of different colors arranged in a sequence determined by the pattern are woven simultaneously in the form of a blanket, in which the weft yarns are interlaced with spaced groups of fine warp yarns. The blanket is then cut apart along lines between the groups of warp yarns to produce a plurality of identical individual strips each having its weft yarns projecting equally beyond 01)- posite sides of the warp yarns binding them together. Each such strip is of a length which bears some definite relation to the length .of the chenille weft yarn required in the weaving of a unit length of the final goods; thus. for example, each strip may have a length equal to a multiple of the length of a single pick of the fabric, the length of a strip may be equal to the length of Weft yarn required for weaving a fabric unit, such as a rug, or the length of a strip may be the length of a weft yarn required for weaving a length of the fabric carrying a single repeat of the pattern.

The weft yarns of a group of like strips are then cut to reduce their height in accordance with the requirements of the pattern and, for this purpose, the group of strips are mounted side by side on a support, which holds them with their weft yarns upright. With the weft yarns so supported, cuts of the weft yarns are made on bands extending across the group, the widths of the respective bands depending upon pattern requirements. If necessary, other strips having weft yarns in other color arrangements are produced and the weft yarns thereon cut, as described, until there is available a collection of prepared strips, which can be assembled end to end in proper sequence to produce a plurality of lengths of weft yarn suitable for use in the weaving of a plurality of fabrics. These assembled weft yarns are then supplied to a loom, where they are interwoven 2 with warp and backing weft yarns to produce chenille fabrics.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a fabric produced by the new method;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of a chenille weft blanket produced in the practice of the method;

Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, ,endand front elevational views of one form of apparatus that may be used in the practice of the method;

Fig. .5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a .part of the apparatus of Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line B.-5 of Fig. 7, showing the action of the cutting means;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6; i

Fig. 8 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a modified form of the apparatus;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line .9-9 of Fig. 8; and

Figs. 10 and 11 are sectional views on the lines lib-l0 and H! I, respectively, of Fig. .8.

The fabric illustrated in Fig. 1 is a typical chenille fabric, which includes backing weft yarns 2o, 2! in upper and lower levels interwoven with two sets of warp yarns 22., 23, and chenille wefts 24 held in place above the upper level by catcher warp yarns .25. The weft Yarns of the chenille are bent to U-shape to form pile tufts 26 and certain of the tufts, such as those designated 21, are shorter than the remainder. In the fabric, the weft yarns of the chenille are of different colors in accordance with a pattern and the height of the tufts in different areas in the pile surface is also in accordance with the pattern.

In the production of such a fabric as is illustrated in Fig. 1 in accordance with the new method, a chenille blanket is first woven. Such a blanket comprises groups of fine warp yarns 28 disposed in spaced relation and interwoven with heavier weft yarns 29, which are ordinarily of.

wool and are of different colors and inserted by the weaver in the sequence required by the pattern. When the blanket is completed, theweft yarns are severed midway between adjacent groups of warp yarns to produce a plurality of strips of chenille in which the weft yarns extend equal distances on opposite sides of the fine warp yarns by which they are bound together.-

Each of the chenille strips so produced has weft yarns in the same color sequence and the blanket may be of such length that each strip is sum- 3 ciently long to provide, for example, the weft required for the weaving of a unit length of the final fabric, or the length of each strip may be a multiple of the length of a pick in such a fabric. Assuming that each strip is long enough for the weaving of a unit of the goods, the strips produced from a single blanket provide the weft for as many units as there are strips in the blanket,

and the number of strips that can be produced in a single weaving operation depends on the width of the loom used and the height of the tufts to be provided by the strips. For some purposes, it may be desirable in weaving the blanket to produce strips containing a number of repeats of a weft color sequence, so that each strip can subsequently be divided into smaller strips or unit lengths, each of which has a length equal to a multiple of the length of a single pick in the finished goods.

Upon completion of the strips of chenille, the weft yarns thereof are cut so that, when the strips are employed in the weaving operation, the pil in the finished goods will have different heights in different areas. The cutting of the weft yarns of the strips may be effected by the apparatus shown in Figs. 3-7, inclusive, and such apparatus is preferred, when each strip contains repeats of a given color arrangement and may be considered to be made up of a plurality of unit length strips connected together, each such unit length strip being equal in length to a multiple of the length of a pick in the finished goods.

The apparatus includes a drum 30 which may be of substantial size and have a circumference of about 2'7 feet, for example. The drum is fast on a shaft 3| mounted in bearings 32 on suitable supports 33, and it is formed with a helical groove 34 in its periphery. The walls of the groove converge downwardly so that, when a strip of chenille is laid in the groove, its weft yarns 29 are bent to U-shape and project outwardly a substantial distance beyond the face of the drum. At one end, the drum has a fiat circumferential surface on which can be mounted a pattern strip 35 having distinctive areas 36 which indicate by their position and length the places along each convolution of the strip on the drum, where the tufts are to be cut, and the length of each out.

A track 31 is mounted at any convenient location adjacent the drum to extend parallel to the axis thereof, and, in the construction illustrated, the track is mounted beneath the drum on a support 38. The track has upper and lower horizontal flanges 31a, 31b connected by a vertical Web 310, and a carriage 39 is mounted on the track on wheels 40, which engage the upper flange from above and below and also engage the opposite faces of the web. The carriage may be moved lengthwise of the track from either end of the drum by any suitable means, such as a cable 4! attached to the carriage and trained about pulleys 42. A cutting device 43 is mounted on the carriage and may conveniently take the form of a standard electrically driven clipper capable of making a cut of a width equal to a multiple of the length of a single tuft measured along the strip. In the construction illustrated, the width of the cutting elements on the clipper is equal to the length of a single tuft and the clipper is so mounted as to sever the tufts close to the cylindrical face of the drum. An indicating pointer 44 is mounted in any convenient manner, as by attachment to one of the bearings 32, and extends close to the end of the drum on which the pattern strip is placed. For convenience, the pointer may be spaced around the drum from the path of travel of the cutter.

In the operation of the apparatus, a strip of chenille is laid in the helical groove in the drum and secured in place by any convenient means, the strip being made up of as many unit lengths as there are convolutions of the groove. The unit lengths are identical in the color arrangement of their weft yarns, which are to form the tufts in the finished goods, so that, after the strip is placed in position, the tufts in any line extending lengthwise of the drum along its surface and parallel to its axis, will all be of the same color. After the strip has been put in place, the pattern strip 35 is placed in position around the end of the drum. Since, in the construction described, the pointer 44 is offset 90 from the line of travel of the cutter, the pattern strip will be angularly displaced 90 from the strip, that is, assuming the drum is to be rotated counter-clockwise, the front end of the pattern strip will be 90 to the rear of the front end of the chenille strip. The operator now turns the drum to bring the first area where a cut is to be made opposite the pointer 44 and then moves the carriage lengthwise of the drum to effect a out. Since the areas 36 on the pattern strip vary in length, it may be necessary to make several cuts to remove the tufts from the convolutions of the chenille in a band having a width equal to the length of an area 36. After the first cutting operation is completed, the drum is advanced until the next area 36 on the pattern strip is opposite the pointer and the necessary cutting operations are then performed with the drum at rest. When the drum has made a complete revolution, the chenille strip thereon is severed along a line lengthwise of the drum so as to divide the strip into a plurality of unit lengths, each one convolution long. These unit lengths are all identical both in color and in tuft height arrangement, and they may be used in the preparation of a Weft for weaving the final fabric.

The preparation of other unit lengths of chenille is carried out by repeating the operations above described, namely, weaving a blanket with the weft in the desired color sequence, cutting the blanket into strips, winding the strips successively on the drum, cutting the tufts of the stripon the drum to the desired height in accordance with the pattern, and cutting the strip into unit lengths. When there is available a supply of all the different unit lengths of chenille required for the weaving of a unit length of the fabric, the unit lengths of chenille are connected together end to end in the proper sequence as determined by the pattern, and a weft is thus produced which may be employed in the usual way in the production of chenille fabric on a loom. During the weaving of the fabric, the weft is inserted in the ordinary way and, when the tufts are combed to vertical position, they produce a pile, in which areas are of different color and the tufts vary in height in different areas, all in accordance with the pattern. As the weaving of the blanket produces a number of identical strips and the drum operation produces a plurality of identical unit lengths of the strips, it will be apparent that the operations described produce a supply of unit lengths of chenille suitable for combination into a large number of Weft supplies for the final weaving operation.

Instead of making use of the drum 30 and its associated cutter, the apparatus shown in Figs. 8 to 11 may be used for cutting the weft yarns of the chenille strips, so that they will produce tufts varying in height. The modified form .of apparatus includes a belt 45 trained about rotary drums 46 and provided with a plurality of parallel lengthwise grooves 41 similar in cross-section to the groove 34 on the drum. A guide plate 4.8 is mounted above the upper stretch .of the belt and the plate is supported in any convenient manner, as by hangers is from a beam 56, The plate is formed with parallel lengthwise grooves 5| in its under surface, each channel 5! lying above a groove ll inthe belt. -A track 52 is supported above the belt to extend across the latter near one end of the plate 48 and a carriage 53, similar to the carriage 39, is mounted on the track for movement lengthwise thereof. A cutting device 54, which is preferably an electrical clipper similar to the clipper 43, is mounted on carriage 53 to extend downwardly-therefrom. One edge of the belt is made fiat and a pattern strip 55 may be mounted thereon.

In the use of the modified form of the apparatus, the strips are inserted in the grooves 47 in the belt with their weft yarns upright and entering the grooves in the plate 48. The belt is then advanced until the weft yarns or tufts at the forward ends of the strips are exposed beyond the plate and lie beneath the path of travel of the clipper. The pattern strip is next applied to the edge of the drum in proper registry with the strips. As the strips acted upon in any cutting operation are identical and aligned, the tufts on the strips, which lie in the path of travel of the cutter at the beginning of the cutting operation, are all of the same color. When th pattern strip requires that a out be made, the carriage 53 is moved along its path of travel with the clipper operating to cut the tufts in a band equal in width to the spot on the pattern strip, with the path of the cutter. When the tufts have been removed from such a band, the belt is advanced to bring the next spot on the pat tern strip in alignment with the path of the cutter and the cutting is resumed to remove the tufts from all the strips in a band of a width equal to the length of the pattern spot then in effective position. The cutting operations are continueduntil the belt has made a complete circuit and, if each strip is made up ,of a number of identical unit lengths, each equal to the length of the belt, the cutting operations are repeated without changing the pattern strip, until the strips have entirely passed through the cutting apparatus. The strips may then be cut up into unit lengths and the unit lengths combined with others to produce a weft suitable for use in the weaving operation.

In some instances, as in the production of fabrics of small size, such as small rugs, the chenille blanket initially woven may be of a length such that each strip is equal in length to the weft required for the weaving of the rug. When such strips are to have their weft yarns cut, so that they will produce pile tufts of different heights, the strips may be treated in the apparatus shown in Fig. 8. Each strip, however, will probably have a length greater than the length of the belt, and, therefore, of the pattern strip applied thereto. In that case, when the belt has made a complete circuit, the pattern strip may be removed from the belt and replaced by another appropriate for the purpose. The cutting operations are then continued for another circuit of the belt and the pattern strip which is, at that time, in registry then removed and another placed in position. The cutting operations are continued as describeduntil the weft yarns of the strips have been out throughout the length of the strips in accordance with the pattern. The operations described will produce a supply of weft suitable for the weaving of as many rugs as there are strips treated in a single series of cutting operations.

In the apparatus illustrated and described, the

cutting operation is performed by means of an electrical clipper mounted on a carriage, so that the clipper can be started in operation and moved with the carriage across a group of strips. Such a cutting device may be manually operated, if preferred, in which event, it is not necessary to provide the apparatus with the traveling carriage, its track, etc,

We claim:

1. In a method of producing chenille fabrics having pile of different heights in different areas of the pile surface in accordance with a pattern includingweaving a weft blanket made up of heavy weft yarns interlaced with spaced groups of line warp yarns, the weft yarns being of different colors arranged in a sequence determined by the pattern, and cutting the weft yarns between the groups of warp yarns to produce strips of chenille, in which the weft yarns project equally on opposite sides of the group of warp yarns binding them together, the steps of supporting a group of lengths of similar strips with their Weft yarns bent to U -shape and the legs of the bent yarns extending upwardly, the lengths lying side by side and being arranged to produce bands of weft yarns of the same color extending transversely of the group and disposed as determined by the pattern, and cutting the weft yarns to reduce the length thereof throughout bands determined by the pattern.

2. In a method of producing chenille fabrics having pile of different heights in different areas of the pile surface in accordance with a pattern comprising weaving a weft blanket made up of heavy weft yarns interlaced with spaced groups of fine Warp yarns, the weft yarns being of different colors arranged in a sequence determined by the pattern, and cutting the weft yarns between the groups of warp yarns to produce strips of chenille, in which the weft yarns project equally on opposite sides of the group of warp yarns binding them together, the steps of supporting a strip in helical form with its weft yarns bent to U-shape and the legs of the bent yarns extending upwardly, each convolution of the supported strip containing Weft yarns of different color arranged in the same sequence and forming bands of weft yarns of the same color extending parallel to the axis of the supported strip, and cutting the weft yarns in bands selected in accordance-with the pattern to reduce the length of said yarns,

3. In a method of producing chenille fabrics having pile of different heights in different areas of the pile surface in accordance with a pattern comprising weaving a weft blanket made up of heavy weft yarns interlaced with spaced groups of fine warp yarns, the weft yarns being of different colors arranged in a sequence determined by the patternand cutting the weft yarns between the groups of warp yarns to produce strips of chenille, in. which the weft yarns project equally on opposite sides of the group of warp yarns binding them together, the steps of supporting a group of the strips in parallel relation 7 with their weft yarns bent to U-shape and the legs of the bent yarns extending upwardly, the strips containing weft yarns of different color arranged in the same sequence and forming bands of weft yarns of the same color extending transversely of the group, and cutting the weft yarns on the supported strips to reduce the length of the yarns throughout bands selected in accordance with the pattern.

4. An apparatus for preparing chenille for use in pile fabric production, which comprises a traveling support for a plurality of strips of chenille, means on the support for holding the strips with their tuft yarns upright and with the strips extending generally in the direction of travel of the support, and a pattern element on the support extending generally parallel to the strips and having distinctive lengths thereon arranged in accordance with a pattern and indicating the places where the tuft yarns on the several strips are to be reduced in height.

5. An apparatus for preparing chenille for use in pile fabric production, which comprises a traveling support for a plurality of strips of chenille, means on the support for holding the strips with their tuft yarns upright and with the strips extending generally in the direction of travel of the support, a pattern element on the support extending generally parallel to the strips and having distinctive lengths thereon arranged in accordance with a pattern and indicating the places where the tuft yarns on the several strips are to be reduced in height, and means mounted adjacent the path of travel of the support for cutting the tuft yarns of the strips along a path extending across the strips on the support.

6. An apparatus for preparing chenille for use in pile fabric production, which comprises a rotary drum having a helical groove in its periphery, the groove being of such cross-sectional shape as to hold a strip of chenille therein with its tuft yarns erect and with a substantial proportion of the yarns exposed above the groove, and a pattern element encircling the drum at one end and having distinctive areas thereon arranged in accordance with a pattern and indieating the places where the tuft yarns on the several convolutions of the strip are to be reduced in height.

'7. An apparatus for preparing chenille for use in pile fabric production, which comprises a rotary drum having a helical groove in its periphcry, the groove being of such cross-sectional shape as to hold a strip of chenille therein with its tuft yarns erect and with asubstantial proportion of the yarns exposed above the groove, a pattern element encircling the drum at one end and having distinctive areas thereon arranged in accordance with a pattern and indicating the places where the tuft yarns on the several convolutions of the strip are to be reduced in height, and cutting means mounted adjacent the surface of the drum and movable lengthwise of the drum, said means being operable to sever the exposed portions of the tuft yarns of the strip in a band extending parallel to the direction of movement of said means.

8. An apparatus for preparing chenille for use in pile fabric production, which comprises a rotary drum having a helical groove in its periphery, the groove being of such cross-sectional shape as to hold a strip of chenille therein with its tuft yarns erect and with a substantial proportion of the yarns exposed above the groove, a pattern element encircling the drum at one end and having distinctive areas thereon arranged in accordance with a pattern and indicating the places where the tuft yarns on the several con volutions of the strip are to be reduced in height, a track mounted adjacent the surface of the drum and extending lengthwise thereof, a carriage movable along the track, and means on the carriage operable to sever tuft yarns exposed above said groove along a band parallel to the track.

9. An apparatus for preparing chenille for use in pile fabric production, which comprises a rotary drum having a helical groove in its periphery, the groove being of such cross-sectional shape as to hold a strip of chenille therein with its tuft yarns erect and with a substantial proportion of the yarns exposed above the groove, a pattern element encircling the drum at one end and having distinctive areas thereon arranged in accordance with a pattern and indicating the places where the tuft yarns on the several convolutions of the strip are to be reduced in height, a track mounted adjacent the surface of the drum and extending lengthwise thereof, a carriage movable along the track, means for moving the carriage along the track controllable from an end of the drum, and means on the carriage operable to sever tuft yarns exposed above said groove along a band parallel to the track.

10.An apparatus for preparing chenille for use in pile fabric production, which comprises an endless traveling support having parallel grooves on its surface, the grooves extending in the direction of travel of the support and each being adapted for holding a strip of chenille with its tuft yarns bent to U-shape and the legs of the bent yarns extending upwardly a substantial distance about the groove, a pattern element on the support extending generally parallel to the strips and having distinctive lengths thereon arranged in accordance with a pattern and indicating the places where the tuft yarns on the several strips are to be reduced in height, and means mounted adjacent the path of travel of the support for cutting the tuft yarns of the strips along a path extending across the strips on the support.

GARFIELD J. UNDERWOOD. FRANCIS E. FARRELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 535,235 Albrecht Mar. 5, 1895 616,748 Templeton Dec. 27, 1898 1,024,421 Sabonadier et al. Apr. 23, 1912 1,795,770 Fromuth Mar. 10, 1931 1,842,692 Sanderman Jan. 26, 1932 2,090,462 Shuttleworth Aug. 17, 1937 

